The Sexual Life of Our Time in Its Relations to Modern Civilization: Translated from the Sixth German EditionBloch, Iwan
Philosophy
The Sexual Life of Our Time in Its Relations to Modern Civilization: Translated from the Sixth German Edition
Bloch, Iwan
Sex; Sexual ethics
[19] Another author--H. Quensel--goes even farther than this in his
book (in some respects most fantastic), “Do We Advance? An Ideal
Philosophical Hypothesis of the Evolution of the Human Psyche based
upon Natural Science,” pp. 152, 153 (Cologne, 1904). He writes: “When
we compare the position in civilization of man and woman, we find that
man unquestionably takes the higher position in respect of those
intellectual impulses which serve as the basis of the higher and the
highest stages of civilization, especially the impulse of building and
construction, of the collection and the elaboration of scientific
facts, in regard to the science of statesmanship and social
activities, in respect also of the study of the connexion between
cause and effect, and in respect of art. When, however, we apply to
the problem before us the data I have obtained concerning the details
of physical retrogression and of psychical advance, it appears that
woman in many relations stands unquestionably higher than man; for
woman, in her development, not alone in bodily relations, as regards
the retrogression of the skeletal and muscular systems and the
delicacy of constitution dependent thereon, as regards the cutaneous
covering of the body, and as regards speech and voice, has advanced
much farther than man on the path of bodily retrogression necessary
for the progress of civilization. Positively, also, in all that
concerns the development of the highest psychical impulses, the
development of general nervous sensibility, of a finer discrimination
of moral values and of idealism, of general charity and capacity for
self-sacrifice in association with diminishing egoism, of
transcendental piety and religious sentiment, and also of clearness of
vision, and, finally, in all that concerns the development of an
adaptability disclosing supreme psychical differentiation--associated,
indeed, with deficient fixity of purpose--woman has advanced far
beyond man on the forward path of civilization; that is to say, in
respect of civilization, woman unquestionably excels man.”
[20] W. Havelburg, in his essay, “Climate, Race, and Nationality in
Relation to Marriage,” published in “Health and Disease in Relation to
Marriage and the Married State,” by Senator and Kaminer, p. 127
(London, Rebman, Limited, 1904), also alludes to the significance of
progressive sexual differentiation in the process of civilization, and
draws attention to the increase in feminine beauty.
[21] We may refer also to Paul Bartel’s valuable work, “Ueber
Geschlechtsunterschiede am Schädel”--“Sexual Differences in the Skull”
(Berlin, 1898). The author concludes: “We are unable to recognize any
important difference between man’s skull and woman’s--probably,
indeed, no such difference exists.”
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